Rochester Country Club

Rochester Country Club – Played July 2015

• Rankings: None of the four lists
• Location: 94 Church Street, Rochester, New Hampshire
• Year: 1939
• Original Architects: William Mitchell & Orrin Smith
• Additional Work By: Phil Wogan
• Course Access: Semi-Private
• Walking Rules: Carts Available

Score Card Information:

• Black: 6,687 yards, Par 72, 72.0 Rating/131 Slope
• Blue: 6,344 yards, Par 72, 70.2 Rating/128 Slope
• White: 5,673 yards, Par 72, 67.5 Rating/115 Slope
• Green: 5,187 yards, Par 73, 65.1 Rating/108 Slope

I am always looking to play a new course when I visit family in New Hampshire.  Funny enough, Rochester Country Club is only about twenty minutes away, but I had yet to play it.  So I booked the tee time and hoped for the best.

Some research on the club’s website did not turn up a great deal of information.  I know that the course has hosted some regional tournaments.  Additionally, the back nine was designed in 1964 after the original nine was built in 1939.  On that note, we will get right into the course tour.

Hole 1 – 362 yards – Par 4

The first hole eases you into the round.  The landing area is a big downslope so a driver is not required.  Aim at the middle of the house in the distance.

The green resides back up the hill.  It has a bit of a false front.  The shot should be pretty short.

Here is a shot of the green showing the slope.

Hole 2 – 486 yards – Par 5

This hole is reachable in two with a good drive.  The fairway slopes to the left.  A draw fits the hole best and should get some run out.

Here is a view of the second shot.

The green tilts back towards you in the fairway.  The putting surface is small consistent with hitting a shorter club into the green.

This is the view from the back of the green.  The bunker wraps around the entire back and both sides.

This is the actual putting surface.

Hole 3 – 452 yards – Par 4 

Continuing with my last post, here is a look at the tee signs at Rochester Country Club.

This hole is very stout.  It is only thirty yards shorter than the previous par five.  The fairway cants hard to the right.

You will most likely be faced with a long second shot.  The green is raised slightly.

The green has some mild slope that you can see in the photo below.

Hole 4 – 216 yards – Par 3 

This is a long hole, but luckily it plays downhill.  You really don’t want to miss long.

Below is a shot of the green from the left.  There isn’t too much slope which gives you a break after the tee shot.

Hole 5 – 311 yards – Par 4 

We have a shorter hole here that doesn’t require a driver.  It is a dogleg left.  A good line is just left of the center bunker.

The tee is right next to the Cocheco River.  It was a nice, peaceful setting to hit a golf shot.

The approach shot plays uphill and is partially blind.

Here is the green from behind.

Hole 6 – 537 yards – Par 5

This is a three-shot hole for all but the longest hitters.  There are trees all down the left side so play a fade if you can.

My second shot didn’t have a view of the green.

The third shot plays over a cadre of bunkers.  Hopefully, you have laid up to a comfortable distance and can take aim at the flag.

There is quite a bit of slope in the green that you can see below.

Hole 7 – 153 yards – Par 3 

This hole plays slightly uphill.  There is a bunker on the left that is the wrong place to miss.

The green is two-tiered, but I had the easier pin position for my round.

Hole 8 – 412 yards – Par 4 

This is one of the tougher tee shots at Rochester Country Club due to the trees encroaching on both sides.  A slight draw fits best.

The approach shot plays uphill.  There is some sand up there guarding the green.

The right side angle of the green is shown below.  The putting surface falls off on the right side pretty severely.

Below you can see the bunkering around the green.

Hole 9 – 329 yards – Par 4 

You won’t get a lot of run on this tee shot.  The landing area is quite a bit uphill.  You can try to bust driver to the top of the hill if you like.

I played an iron off the tee and I was left with a blind second shot.

Hole 10 – 377 yards – Par 4 

This is a crazily sloped fairway.  It slopes quickly to the right so it is best to hit it up the left side.

The second shot plays to a green that drops off on the backside.  There is also a large slope off the right.

Here is a closer view of the green.

Hole 11 – 553 yards – Par 5

This is a long hole.  Unfortunately the best shot shape here is a straight ball.  You can get away with slight curve either way, but straight is best.

I didn’t hit a great drive and had the following long shot.  With the mower guy’s safety in mind, I chose to layup with an iron.

Here is a shot of the green.  There isn’t too much going on here.

Hole 12 – 228 yards – Par 3 

This hole is a beast and gave the par threes some more variety.  There is no room to miss with heavy tree cover left and right.

The green has uphill slope towards the back flag shown below.  Overall it’s a very tough hole.

Hole 13 – 440 yards – Par 4 

The course hits you with back to back tough holes.  For the length of the hole, this tee shot is pretty tight.  You will need a long and straight drive to leave a manageable approach.

The approach will be long, but it is straightforward.  The trees on the right will give you some trouble if you try and hit a draw into the green.

The green has a large slope in the middle that bisects the width of the green.  Distance control on the approach is important to leave yourself the flattest putt possible.

Hole 14 – 401 yards – Par 4 

This is a hole that really fits my eye and shot shape.  Bang a driver out there with a draw.

The approach is uphill to the green.  There are two bunkers to avoid in the front of the green.

The green slopes back to front and is not overly large.

Hole 15 – 511 yards – Par 5

This tee shot plays extremely downhill.  You don’t necessarily need driver if you are planning this to be a three-shot hole.

Below you can see the slope of the fairway on the second shot.

The approach shot is partially blind due to the uphill slope.

The green is pretty deep and surrounded by a couple large bunkers.

Here is a closer look at the putting surface.

Hole 16 – 198 yards – Par 3 

The last par three is another long one.  It plays pretty flat.  The green is open in the front if you need to run it up.

This look from the back, left of the green shows the slope of the putting surface.  A couple of the slopes will actually funnel the ball towards this pin position.

Hole 17 – 414 yards – Par 4 

This tee shot plays out of a chute.  It plays a little downhill.  If you can rip a slinging draw out there you can leave yourself a shorter shot into the green.

The approach shot is also downhill.  The preferred miss is right since the slope falls away on the left.

You can see that the slope of the green also moves left substantially.

Hole 18 – 307 yards – Par 4 

I was honestly a little disappointed with the finishing hole.  I thought seventeen was much stronger.  The best strategy is just a 200-215 yard shot down the fairway.

The approach is straight up the hill to a flat green.  I am not really a fan of these types of shots.

Below is the green.

Rochester Country Club is a very fun course and it is an especially good value.  The setting on the river is quite nice and comes into play on a few holes.  I got to play by myself and motored around in about two and a half hours!  Who doesn’t love midweek golf?